1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mail receptacles and, more particularly, to a mail slot assembly for receiving and retrieving mail through a mail slot of a door.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of mail receptacles are known in the art. Typically, these mail receptacles are attached to a door having a mail slot therein, wherein mail passes through the mail slot and is received into the receptacle. The mail receptacle, such as a bag, can either surround the mail slot or be positioned underneath the mail slot of a door in order to receive mail passing through the mail slot. Such prior art mail receptacles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 782,229; 1,797,961; 4,069,965; 4,776,512; 5,368,226 and 5,492,272.
In prior art mail receptacles, the retrieving of the mail from mail receptacles that surround the mail slot typically requires that the open end of the mail receptacle be removed from the surface of the door surrounding the mail slot in order to retrieve the mail. Also, retrieving of the mail can occur by unzipping or untying the receptacle from either the bottom or side in order to retrieve mail from the receptacle. In either of these cases, mail retrieval requires the additional time to either replace the open end of the receptacle over the mail slot or retie or zip up the mail receptacle after the mail is retrieved.
In prior art mail receptacles, wherein the receptacle, is positioned underneath the mail slot, retrieval of the mail is easier than in mail receptacles that surround the mail slot. However, these mail receptacles generally include a frame at the open end of the receptacle that extends axially away from the surface surrounding the mail slot. These types of mail receptacles typically extend approximately 6 to 12 inches away from the door. Although the retrieval of the mail is easier in this case, this extension takes up additional space and can sometimes be a safety hazard, especially when the frame surrounding the opening of the receptacle is made of a rigid material.
It is desirable to have a mail slot receptacle that surrounds the mail slot of a door, and provides for easy retrieval of the mail from the open end of the receptacle without the complete removal of the receptacle from the surface of the door surrounding the mail slot. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies by providing a mail slot assembly that takes up less space and provides for easy retrieval of the mail from the mail receptacle.